Review of Don't Think Twice (2016) by Filipe C — 30 Jul 2016

When confronted about the stakes of a film in which all characters are good friends and share the same goals and ambitions, Mike Birbiglia relayed Noah Baumbach's advice: "there are no bigger stakes than losing a friendship".

That is precisely the complex beauty of this film. Interweaving hopes and daunting realities, Birbiglia masterfully creates an honest story about "making it" and what that term means to different people with different perceptions.

After all, success rarely is synonymous with visibility and Don't Think Twice wholeheartedly (even if paradoxically) believes in it. It's also one of those rare films rooted in empathy and compassion, sentiments that although transparent are impossibly moving.

And when a film features the quality of performers such as a Key, Jacobs, Gethard, Miccuci, Sagher and Birbiglia himself, the ordinary quickly becomes extraordinary.